Unlimited with Automatic Only???

So soon we forget those French years. Like when Jeep was forced by the French to use the Peugeot tranny in the YJ Wrangler.

Jerry

and of course the bits made in Mexico don't count !

Dave Milne, Scotland '91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ

But, why NOT a manual?

The Unlimited is simply another TJ variation, and all TJs get a manual as the standard transmission. The automatic is an option. I can understand that DC might make the automatic the standard transmission, but why would they eliminate the manual transmission as an available option on a model VARIATION that has this option on the other variations of the model? Hidden agenda aside, there is no manufacturing limitation to support the inability of the consumer to get this model with a manual trans. On the Libby, there is no manufacturing capability to provide a manual because DC made a decision to not use that transmission. But, on the TJ, the transmission is widely used on all variations except the Unlimited.

Does this change foretell the demise of manual transmissions in America's line ups? We are already noticing that the new Ford F150 is (reported by somebody on this group - unknown by myself) is only available with an automatic.

I sell Ford and DC vehicles. From my perspective, manual transmissions are on the way out. Not available in the new '04 F150, although still offered in the F150 Heritage (old body style, base level work trucks). Typically a manual transmission is only available on 'stripped' base models with the smaller engines, e.g. Ford Escape, Focus and Dodge Neon or niche vehicles like the Mustang.

Whatever happened to big V8's and stick shift? The new Chrysler 300C Hemi? Automatic only.

It's all market driven. "Soccer moms who don't offroad" is right on target. The vast majority of my customers who buy 4WD vehicles will never shift out of 2WD, much less leave paved roads. Toss in a transfer case, call it "trail rated" and the tough soccer mom does not have to bear the humiliation of driving a minivan. Worse yet are the poseurs who insist on driving a crew cab pickup to look even tougher.

Please keep buying manual transmission vehicles. Vote with your wallet.

Best regards, Dave Rose Cactus Cowboy Big Wonderful Wyoming '49 Willys Pickup (parts truck) '62 Willys Pickup 4WD 226 '98 XJ Sport O|||||||O

I suspect that the real reason manufacturers are going to only automatics in the line up is that they can better control the activities of the motor in order to meet smog rules. Obviously, the driver can select the manual setting of the trans and defeat the controls that the trans has over the engine, but the vast majority of drivers will put the selector in D and never move it. Ever. Still more will put it in D most of the time, and only move it when they want to move. Very few of them will actively select gears, or they would have purchased the manual trans in the first place. The very small number of drivers that will overpower the controls of the transmission will have very little affect on the air quality, but if there were large numbers of drivers with manual transmissions, then the affects on air quality are more dramatic. The idea is that given an option of selecting D and taking the shift points where they come is more environmentally friendly than running the gears in a manual trans up to engine speeds much higher than an automatic will routinely allow.

That explains the move away from manual transmissions in many cars and trucks, but it does not explain why all TJs, save one, come with a manual trans as standard equipment and have automatics as an available option. And, the one TJ model that has the automatic as its standard trans will not allow the special ordering of a manual.